Background
editThe institute was co-founded in 1998 by Yigal Carmon, a counter-terrorism advisor to Israeli prime ministers Yitzhak Shamir and Yitzhak Rabin,[1] and Meyrav Wurmser.[2] Wurmser left the organization in 2001.[3]
MEMRI gained public prominence after an increased interest in the Middle East region following the September 11 attacks.[4] By 2002, both critics and supporters of MEMRI noted its increasing influence in shaping perceptions of the Middle East, with its translations and reports being used by journalists and policymakers.[5]
The organization's mission statement asserts that MEMRI "[bridges] the language gap between the Middle East and the West by monitoring, translating and analyzing Middle East media".[6]
MEMRI monitors and translates print, broadcast, and digital media content, as well as speeches and sermons,[7] and also provides analysis and regularly publishes reports on its research.[8][9] Its translated articles and commentary are routinely cited in national media outlets in the United States.[10] It has also maintained longstanding relations with law enforcement agencies.[11]
- ^ Elhanan Miller (13 February 2013). "The Arab Spring is great, says leading Israeli analyst". Times of Israel. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
In 1998, Carmon founded MEMRI";"He advised prime ministers Yitzhak Shamir and Yitzhak Rabin on counterterrorism
- ^ Sean Salai (20 June 2002). "Arabic news bared; Translations unnerving". The Washington Times.
Founded in 1998 by two Israelis, Meyrav Wurmser and Yigal Carmon, MEMRI is a think tank that has emerged from obscurity.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ Sean Salai (20 June 2002). "Arabic news bared; Translations unnerving". The Washington Times.
Mrs. Wurmser left MEMRI for a job at the Hudson Institute a year and a half ago
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ Jaap van Wesel (29 December 2003). "MEMRI Games". The Jerusalem Report.
Carmon started MEMRI in 1998, but it really took off only after the failure of the Camp David negotiations in July 2000 and the subsequent 9/11 terror attacks
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ Jaap van Wesel (29 December 2003). "MEMRI Games". The Jerusalem Report.
Widely used by the American press, diplomats and politicians dealing with the Mideast, MEMRI's translations have had a growing impact in Washington, especially in the two years since 9/11.";""Most of the U.S. administration's and media's information on the Arabs is now derived from MEMRI," complained Ahdaf Soueif last September 11 in the English weekly edition of the Egyptian Al-Ahram.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ Elhanan Miller (13 February 2013). "The Arab Spring is great, says leading Israeli analyst". Times of Israel. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
In 1998, Carmon founded MEMRI, tasked, according to its mission statement, with "bridging the language gap between the Middle East and the West by monitoring, translating and analyzing Middle East media.
- ^ Jay Nordlinger (6 May 2002). "Thanks For The Memri (.Org)". The National Review. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
What it does, mainly, is provide translations of Arab newspaper articles, television shows, political statements, sermons, textbooks, and so on
- ^ Sara Carter (15 May 2013). "Feds take little action against U.S. Web companies hosting sites linked to terror". The Washington Times. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
FBI officials refused to comment on the various Web servers linked to hosting terrorists groups' communications that were uncovered by MEMRI in several reports
- ^ Amanda Vincinanzo (October 2014). "Countering Cyber Jihad: A Look inside the Middle East Media Research Institute's Cyber Jihad Lab". Homeland Security Today Magazine.
MEMRI provides translations of Arabic, Farsi, Urdu-Pashtu and Dari media in addition to original analysis of political, ideological, intellectual, social, cultural and religious trends.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ Sean Salai (20 June 2002). "Arabic news bared; Translations unnerving". The Washington Times.
Many major media outlets in the Western world, including at least 30 in the United States, have used the group's research and translations in the past six months
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ John Baron: Israeli Web site Debka.com at center of New York ‘dirty bomb’ tip The Jewish Journal, August 16, 2007. Accessed March 5, 2009.